Hand-stamp.



` No. 796,132. rATBNTED AUG. 1, 1905.

W. LAYCOCK.

HAND STAMP.'

, APPLICATION Hmm' un. z, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT oiuiion.

Specieaton of`Letters Patent.

Patented Aug.v 1, 1905.

Application filed April 2, 1904. serial No. 201,216.

To all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WASHINGTON LAYcocK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Stamps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

This invention relates to improvements in hand printing-stamps of that class provided with removable types, and refers more speclhcally to a construction designed to facili' tate the setting and removal of the types and to hold the same accurately in place during the printing operation.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a hand-stamp embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the stamp. Fig. 4: is an end view. Fig. 5 is a side View, partly broken away, showing a modified form of stamp. Fig. 6 is an end view of said modilication. Fig. 7 is abottom plan view. Fig. 8 is a cross-section.

First referring to the construction of the v form shown in Figs. l to 4, A designates the back or body of the stamp, provided with a handle A', and B designates a type-holder detachably secured to said back and in which are .removably secured the types C. Said holder consists of a Hat plate of grid form, Fig. 3, comprising a plurality of type-receiving slots b' and intervening bars 52 made integral with the body of the plate. Said holder is provided with side and end flanges or walls 3 b4, which are preferably made integral with the holder proper and constitute a'boX-like casing that overlaps and closely embraces the rabbeted side and end faces of the back A. The type-holder is attached to the body A in any convenientman ner permitting of its ready attachment and detachment for the purpose of insertion and removal of the types. types vare inserted into the holder from the rear thereof, and any means of freeing the holder from the back or removing the back from the holder to permit of the insertion of the types may be employed. The reduced printing ends c of the types t within -the slots Of the holder and the enlarged body portions The c" thereof lit between the inner faceof the grid-form holder and the stamp-back, the shoulders betweenthe reduced and enlarged parts of the types fitting against the inner faces of the bars b2 and pressed thereagainst by being confined closely between the holder and back. As herein shown, the holder is locked to the stamp-back by means of an arm B integral with one end flange of the holder and which fits outside of and engages the end face of the back above the rabbet thereof and is provided with an opening or notch 55, which engages a stud B2, formed on or fixed to the end face of theV back, and a spring-latch B3, attached to the other end wall or flange of the holder and provided with an opening or notch b, which engages a like lug B4, formed on or attached to the adjacent end of the back A. The rigid stud B may be replaced by a similarly-formed spring-latch, if

desired. The lugs B4 B4 are inclined on their lower sides, and the u-pper ends of the arm B and spring-latch B3 are turned outwardly at their free ends, thus facilitating'the fitting of the holder to the back. The holder and its Hanges may be cast or may be made of sheet metal, as desired. When it is desired tov release the holder for the purpose of receiving or changing or adding-types, thefree end of the spring-latch B3 is pulled outwardly to release it from the lug B4, after which the adjacent end of the holder is free to be drawn away from the back A and the notched arm B detached from the lug B2. A's a further and separate improvement a yielding body is interposed between the stamp-back and the types, which serves to press thetypes firmly into place in the holder, while permitting the backs of the types to yield backwardly relatively to the back or body of the stamp when pressed against a printing-surface. Such yielding body may embrace in its construction a spring or springs or be made otherwise yielding. Preferably it consists of av cushioning body D, made of cellular rubber or like material, and is pasted or.otherwise affixed to the lower face of said stamp-back. The iianges ofthe holder are so adjusted to the back and to the locking-lugs B2 B4 that when in` place the types are confined under somepressure between the yielding or cushioning body D4 and the holder, and such pressure acts to force and hold the lugs B2 B4 against the outer ends of the notches b5 66 of said attaching-arm and spring-latch, respectivel,

The rabbeted por-k i tion of said back A is made of such depth..

tapered to receive that when the parts are in the position described the upper margins of the fianges b3 711 are separated a distance from the shoulders @between the rabbet and enlarged upper part of the back. When the stamp is pressed with the type engaging a printing-surface, therefore, the vback A of the stamp is permitted to yield or move downwardly relatively to the holder and its iianges, and such movement is permitted by reason of the elongation of the notches in the arm B2 and spring B". By reason of such relative movement of the stampback and the holder and of the yielding or cushioning body or member D between the back and types a uniform pressure of the types on the printing-surface is assured, notwithstanding the fact that the types may eX- tend unequal distances from the holder, or the printing-surface may be uneven--that is to say, if, for instance, certain of the types should project from the holder farther than the others or the printing-surface be irregular such projecting type or those first striking' the printing-surface when the stamp is pressed against said printing-surface yield backwardly into the cushioning bodyD until all the types are brought into proper printing contact with .the printing-surface.

In the construction shown in Figs. 5 to 8 the holder E, shown as accommodating but a single line of type, is provided with fianges e e at the sides of its type-receiving slot eX- tending a distance beneath the holder, thereby increasing the bearing-surface of the holder for the reduced printing ends of the types.

Said flanges are inclined toward each other whereby the type-receiving slot is slightly the reduced ends of the types, as shown in Fig. 8, and to hold such printing end firmly in alinement. The holder shown in Figs. 5 to 8 may' of course be made with a number of slots to accommodate a number of lines. This form of holder is preferably made of sheet metal and is given form by a stamping or swaging process, and the flanges e thereof desirably4 possess some resiliency, so as to permit the same to be bent slightly nearer together or farther apart to adjust the same to types having different widths printing-faces. The side and end flanges e' e2 of the holder E are like those of the holder B and lit over and closely embrace the rabbeted back. ln this instance the holder is locked in place by two spring-latches F F, attached one to each end of the back and provided with lugs f, attached to the end anges of the holder.

The construction of the holder described is such that the types may be quickly and easily set therein or removed therefrom and by reason of the fact that the types enter their slots from the back of the holder it is only necessary to remove and insert the particular type in a setup line which it is desired to change,

notches, which are engaged by and no other type of the line need to be disturbed. The types C are preferably provided on their backs or rear faces with proofletters, which correspond with the letters in their printing ends and so placed that the letters on the backs of a set-up row of type read from left to right, so that the row of type may be easily proof-read from the backs thereof. The type-holding slots need not be entirely lilled by blanks or plugs in case the types used be not sniiicient to lill the slot entirely from end to end, inasmuch as the types are confined so lirmly between the back and the holder as to be held reliably in place without the aid of such additional lilling devices.

T he stamp described may be economically manufactured and is very durable.

l claim as my invention l. A printing-stamp comprising a back or body, a slotted type-holder ailixed thereto by means permitting it to move freely toward and from the body in the direction of and during the printing-pressure ofthe stamp, types inserted into the slotted holder and separately fieldable in and having guiding engagement with said slots and a yielding member interposed between the types and said body.

Q. A printing-stamp comprising a back or body, a slotted type-holder alixed thereto by means permitting it to move freely toward and from the body in the direction of and during the printing-pressure of the stamp, a plurality of independent types inserted into the slotted holder and having separately yieldable, guiding engagement with the slots of said holder, and a cushioning body interposed between the inner faces of said types and said body.

3. A printing-stamp comprising a back or body, a slotted type-holder removably aiiixed thereto by means permitting it to move freely toward and away from the body in the direction of and during the printing-pressnre of the stamp, a plurality of types which are inserted into said holder from the rear thereof, and a yielding member interposed between the body and the rear faces of said types, the types being separately yieldable in said slots.

a. A printing-stamp comprising a back or body, a slotted type-holder provided with arms which overlap the margins of said holder, said arms being provided with elongated slots and the body being provided with lugs which engage said slots, permitting the holder to move toward and away from the body, a plurality of types inserted into the slotted holder, and a yielding member interposed between the rear faces of said types and the body.

5. A printing-stamp comprising a back or body, a ltype-holder having in its fiat face a ty pe-receiving slot, individual types which are inserted into said slot from the rear of the holder and are separately and rearwardly yieldable during the printing-pressere of the stamp therein, and means for aflxing the holder to the body permitting the holder to move freely toward and away from the body in the direction of and during the printingpressure of the stamp.

6. A printing-stamp comprising a back or body, a slotted type-holder aiixed to the bodyby means permitting it to move freely toward and from the body during the printing-pressure of the stamp, a cushion on the lower face of the body and shouldered types having their narrower ends extending through the slots and their wider ends interposed between the bars of the holder and said cushion whereby said types are clamped rmly between said holder and cushion but are permitted to separately yield backward-ly into the cushion.

A printing-stamp comprising a back or body, a slotted type-holder affixed to the body by means permitting it to move freely toward and from the body during the printing-pressure ofthe stamp, a cushion on the lower face of the body and separately-movable types in the slot of the holder having narrow advance ends and wide rear ends, said narrow advance ends having guiding engagement with the walls of the slots and the wider rear ends being clamped between the holder and the cushion.

8. A hand-stamp comprisinga back, a holder provided With a type-receiving slot into which the types are inserted from the rear of the holder, said holder being provided with flanges which fit outside of and closely embrace the back, and the back being rabbeted to receive said flanges, means on the lianges and back for fastening the holder to the back and constructed to permit .relative movement of the holder and back in the direction of the imprinting-pressure of the stamp, and a yielding body interposed between said back and the rear faces of the type-bodies in said holder. 9. A hand-stamp comprising a back, a holder provided with a type-receiving slot which receives the types from the back of the holder, means for fastening the holder to the back embracing notched latches or arms on one of said parts and lugs on the other part adapted to enter the notches of the latches or arms and a yielding body interposed between said back and the rear faces of the type-bodies, said notches being elongated in the direction of the imprinting-pressure of the stamp.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I afix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 18th day of March, A. D.

- WASHINGTON LAYCOCK. Witnesses: 

